Gotta Love Your Family
by You-Can't-Catch-Me
Summary: A short story chronicling the events leading up to, during, and after the wedding that made the Alvarna Earthmates and the Trampoli Earthmates a giant extended family. Lots of pairings. Set in the "Viva La Arianna" universe.
1. Writing

_Arianna, Spring 2, 10:34 p.m._

"Damn," I said. "Damn, damn, damn, damn, _damn!_" I pounded my fist on the sheet of paper, even though it wouldn't help me with my writing.

I was stuck in the lobby of Trampoli's inn, attempting to write my wedding vows. My mom was sitting right by me, as my siblings made a racket on the floor above.

"What are you damning this time?" Mom asked.

"My nonexistent writing ability," I replied. "These vows…why in the hell did I choose to write them myself?"

"Because I couldn't convince you otherwise," Mom said, laughing. I sighed, and tried once again to write.

I heard thundering footsteps come down the stairs, and my five-year-old brother Liam and eleven-year-old sister Zoe ran to Mom.

"Don't believe anything he says!" Zoe immediately shouted. "He's a liar!"

"She hit me!" Liam bawled. "And then she said I didn't have a soul!"

"Zoe!" Mom exclaimed. "What would make you do either of those things?"

"Well," Zoe said. "He was bothering me, so I hit him. And he doesn't have a soul because he's a ginger!" Mom rolled her eyes.

"You're _both _too big to fight like this," she said. "Where's your father?"

"Writing something," Liam replied.

"It's probably something all mushy," Zoe said. She twirled around. "For the bride-to-be!" Liam laughed.

"Mushy-mushy!" he exclaimed. "Arianna's going to have to kiss in front of people!"

"Aw, shut up, you," I told him jokingly. "Why don't you go play with Gerard, Liam? I'm sure he'd like to play tag. Zoe, you should go ask Tristan if you can give him a makeover."

"Okay!" they exclaimed. They both went bounding up the stairs, and it seemed they had forgotten their little spat.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mom asked. "You should have sent Liam to Tristan or Flora, and Zoe to Lily or Leann!"

"I'm not out of my mind," I replied. "I just know Gerard can't run worth a damn, and Tristan's probably going to hide under his bed from embarrassment."

"You're cruel," Mom said, laughing. "Just because you're pissed off doesn't mean you have to make trouble for everyone else!" I sighed. "Just write your vows. It shouldn't be too difficult if you're speaking from the h-"

"Mom!" two voices cried.

Tristan and Gerard came running down the stairs, with Zoe and Liam following close behind. Mom was quick grabbing Liam; she had done so before I had even noticed that he had a hammer in his hand.

"What have I told you about hammer tag, Liam?" Mom asked sternly.

"It's not allowed," Liam said in an annoyed tone of voice. Mom took the hammer out of his hand, and let him go.

"Mom!" Zoe whined. "Tristan's being mean!"

"Oh really?" Tristan asked. "_I'm _being mean? Zoe, it's not normal to go into your _sleeping brother's _room and start braiding his hair!"

"And _this _little brat," Gerard said, pointing to Liam. "Is going to grow up to be a homicidal maniac! I can see it now: 'The Alvarna Hammer Killer Strikes Again'!" Liam responded to this by biting Gerard's arm.

"What is _with _you guys?" Mom asked. "Tristan and Gerard…Tristan especially, you are too old to act like children! Arianna's getting married tomorrow, and the only activity you can think of is raising hell?"

"Sorry, Mom," the four of them said.

"Good," Mom said. "Now get your asses upstairs. Your sister's trying to write her wedding vows, and the three of you who are under eighteen, it's past your bedtime anyway."

"You heard that, minors," Tristan said. "Go to your rooms!"

Gerard, Zoe, and Liam groaned, but they went back upstairs.

"Shit," Mom muttered. "Liam's going to want me to tuck him in. I'll be right back." She went up the stairs after them.

I sighed, looking back at my paper.

"You haven't written much," Tristan commented.

"Thank you," I replied. "I'm aware. And do you have to look over my shoulder?" I sighed again. "I just feel like I'm bullshitting this…"

"Well," Tristan said. "_Are _you bullshitting it?"

I thought for a second.

"No," I finally said. "I'm not."

"Then keep writing," Tristan said. "And don't stay up too late. Grandpa Kyle's going to paint you, and you don't want dark circles under your eyes." I laughed.

"You sound like Lily," I told him.

"I know," he said. "I'm going to get some sleep. And don't forget to write."

I wrote.

_Gunie, Spring 3, 12:01 a.m._

"Sappy," I muttered, ripping yet another piece of paper out of my notebook. "Too goddamn sappy."

I crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it on my bedroom floor. Usually, I wasn't so messy, but the wastebasket had run out of space hours ago, and I was frustrated. I ran my hands through my hair, and sighed heavily.

I had never been a strong writer, and honestly, I was tempted to go over to the inn and wake up Arianna's seventeen-year-old writing prodigy of a brother, Gerard.

_He could probably do the job in less than a minute,_ I thought. _But no…these are my wedding vows. I need to do this on my own._

I started to pick up my pen to see if I could write anything at all, but suddenly, I heard my door creak open.

"Hey," Dad said quietly. I slowly turned around.

"Hey Dad," I said.

"I take it the vows aren't coming along so well?" he asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked.

"Because you look like shit," he said, laughing.

He pulled up a chair, and sat down next to me.

"A blank page," he said. "Gunie, you're starting to worry me."

"You think _you're_ worried?" I asked. I paused, and sighed heavily. "I just can't figure out what to write…I love her so much, and I want them to sound cheesy or fake."

"Well," he said. "If she loves you, and I know she does, then she's not going to care about syntax or extensive vocabulary usage. She's only going to care about how much you love her." I smiled at him.

"Thanks, Dad," I said. "I'll try again."

"You'd better," he replied.

We didn't talk for a while, until I heard Dad start laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just thinking about when you were seven, and you brought home that book."

"What book?" I asked.

"I don't really know," he said. "But whatever it was, it prompted you to ask about some things related to female anatomy." He laughed again, and I just kept writing. I knew he was just trying to make me feel uncomfortable.

"Ha, ha," I said in an expressionless voice.

"Well," Dad continued. "Your first time will come soon enough. You'd better be prepared for it."

I froze, nearly dropping my pen. That one night by the lake…

"Um…" I stammered. Dad laughed again.

"I should have known," he said. "The way you've been looking at each other lately-"

"Don't tell Mom," I said quickly.

"I won't," Dad replied. "Although I don't think she'd get angry. After all, you were kind of a 'surprise' yourself. Your grandfather damn near killed me. We hoped to God that you'd be a boy so we could calm him down by naming you after him."

"Thanks Dad," I said jokingly. "Nice to know my name has such deep meaning."

"Anyway," he said. "I should let you write. And don't stay up too late."

He got up, and left the room. Once again, I was stuck trying to write something meaningful.

And suddenly, it hit me, and I began to write.

**Yay! I've distracted myself once again! Note the sarcasm.**

**I originally started writing this to go along with a drawing I'm working on, and it was going to be a really long oneshot. Then, I realized that if I combined everything, it would be _ridiculously _long. So, I guess it'll be just a short story with chapters.**

**Also, this is going to be pretty different than my other stories. While those are romantic dramedies (drama-comedies), this is going to be fluffy and, in some cases, comedic. Okay, so maybe that's not _too _different, but still.**

**As a random side note...the Kyle side of the family is an effing circus. And I find that awesome.  
**


	2. Preparations

_Arianna, Spring 3, 10:00 a.m._

Something hit me in the face. Then another, and another! I damn near screamed, until I figured out that I was only being hit with pillows by my crazy siblings.

"Jeez!" I cried. "You guys-" I got whacked with a pillow again. "Scared the shit out of me!" The hitting stopped, and they laughed.

"So much for a blushing bride," Gerard said, laughing.

"Arianna's a big drooling baby!" Liam cried.

"And she snores!" Zoe added.

"Okay," I said. "Shut up, or I'll take _all_ of you out with pillows. Why are you waking me up so early, anyway?"

"Because," a new voice said. "_You _need to get dressed and get makeup on so you can be on time for your wedding!" I looked in the doorway, and saw Lily and Leann, both looking like they were going to piss their pants from excitement. I quickly looked at the clock.

"It's ten in the morning," I told them. "And the wedding doesn't start until one in the afternoon!"

"It takes a while," Leann said. I groaned. "Trust me, dear. And Leona, Lily, and I still have to do hair and makeup for Lily, Flora, Ella, Zoe, and Raina."

"And _you're_ going to need it most," Lily said. "You look like a kermit."

"A what?" I asked.

"A kermit," Lily replied. "You know, those guys that live in caves and never talk?"

"A _hermit,_" I said. "That's called a _hermit_, Lily."

"Whatever," Leann said. "Enough about hermits and meander-thals. We have a mess to clean up!"

I didn't even bother telling Leann that the word was actually "Neanderthal", because it would be pointless, and it was good enough that she had gotten the word "hermit" right. Besides, by the time I had come up with a decision regarding that, Lily and Leann had already yanked me out of bed, and they started dragging me down the hall.

They sat me down in a chair, and they started brushing my hair mercilessly.

"Are you two out of your freaking minds?" I asked.

"No," Lily replied. "We just want you to look beautiful!"

"Wow, Arianna!" Leann cried. "You have the most gorgeous eyes! It's a shame you don't wear makeup more often!"

"You're _just _like your mother," I muttered. A hairbrush got caught in my hair again. "Ow!"

"Be quiet!" Lily said. "You have to feel pain to feel beautiful!"

The door opened, and Leona and Mom stepped inside.

"Leann!" Mom cried. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"We're brushing her hair!" Leann replied excitedly.

"God, Leann," Mom said. "You've raised three children, and you still don't know how to-"

"Let me take over," Leona said. "Lily and Leann, you can get the makeup ready. Aria, why don't you go and get the dress?"

"Ooh!" Lily cried. "That's right, I almost forgot about the makeup!" She and Leann went to a different room, and Mom followed them.

"What kind of hairstyle did you have in mind?" Leona asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't want anything too fancy, but I don't want to look like my regular self, either. What do you think?"

"I think you're beautiful," Leona said with a chuckle. "And I'm glad that you'll be my daughter-in-law before the day is over."

Mom walked back into the room with a large box under her arm, and hangers full of clothing on the other.

"Are you ready to see it?" she asked.

"Hell yeah!" I replied.

The dress I would be wearing was the same one Mom wore when she got married. I had never seen it, other than in Grandpa Kyle's paintings, and I was blindfolded while I was getting the alterations. Mom really wanted it to be a surprise, for whatever reason.

"Well," Mom said. "I'll help you get into your corset and everything like that. Leona, we'll probably need your help. Leann and Lily will just have to wait."

"Of course," Leona said.

We walked to the back corner of the room. Mom carried the box, and Leona carried everything else.

"Everything off," Mom said. I stripped down quickly, and Mom turned around, but Leona stopped me from trying to make myself decent.

"Wait," she said. "You're not on your period, are you?"

"No," I replied.

"Good then," Mom said. "That'll complicate things less."

I put on the new underthings, and then came the time I was dreading: the time for Mom and Leona to stuff me into my corset.

"Are you…trying to…kill me?" I asked between gasps.

"No," Leona replied. "You may have gained a little weight, though."

"It happens," Mom added. "And I think this is as far as we can go, Leona. Let's see if we can get this damn thing tied."

After a few minutes, they were able to.

"Wow," Mom said. "They weren't kidding when they said this thing has a built-in push up bra."

"You're telling me!" I replied. "I could practically use my own breasts as cushions! I feel like a slut."

"You're not," Leona said. "And with the cut of your dress, nobody's going to be able to see anything."

"We bought this corset three months ago," Mom muttered.

For some reason, the phrase "three months ago" brought me back to my first time. It was Gunie's as well, and I tried not to laugh as I remembered how he blushed when we sat on Trampoli's beach at midnight, right next to the changing room, and he interrupted a kiss to ask me if I wanted to go all the way.

"Stop staring at the wall, dear," Leona said. "We're going to get you into your dress." I looked around the room for Mom, and saw her with the giant box in her arms.

"Ready to see it?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Good," she said. "Because…I don't know if I am." She set the box on a chair, and opened the lid. She set the lid on the floor, and lifted the dress out, her hands trembling.

I smiled as I saw it. It was white, like any traditional wedding dress. The top half of the dress had the typical timeless design, with pearls adorning the neckline and forming swirls around the bodice. The skirt, however, was quite different. There were squares and squares of all different sizes of tulle, layered one over the other. The dress was a combination of edgy and elegant, and it was beautiful.

I heard Mom let out a sob, and I couldn't help but tear up a little myself.

"Take it, Arianna," Mom said, her arms outstretched. "It's yours now." I took it, and stared at it.

"It's beautiful," Leona said. "You have excellent taste, Aria."

"I'm glad my Mom wouldn't let me make the whole thing like the skirt," Mom said, wiping her eyes. "Otherwise, it probably wouldn't be as unique." While I was looking it over, I came across the tag in the back, and I was shocked at the size.

"And you wore _this size_ six months after having twins?" I asked.

"Well," she said. "You and Tristan didn't make a huge bump. Now, let's get you into this. We can only keep Leann and Lily away for so long."

The dress was fairly easy to put on compared to the corset. I barely had a chance to look at myself, though, because Leann and Lily ran into the room, and started attacking me with combs, brushes, and just about everything that could be used for doing hair.

And before I could even approve how I looked, Lily announced that my makeup was done, and they practically started pushing me out the door.

I was on my way to the church.

_Gunie, Spring 3, 12:25 p.m._

I slowly opened my eyes, since the sun was streaming through the windows. I got out of my bed, and stretched. Then, it hit me:

"I'm getting married today," I said.

I started to walk toward the kitchen, but instead of seeing the usual scene of a lazy breakfast, I saw chaos. My six-year-old sister Raina was running around with Arianna's brother Liam while my thirteen-year-old sister Ella tried to calm them down, Mom was putting lipstick or something on Arianna's sister Zoe, and Arianna's two other brothers were sitting on the couch and talking to Dad.

"What in the hell is going on?" I asked. Raina suddenly stopped in front of me.

"Get dressed, dumbass!" she demanded. "You're getting married in a half hour or something!" She stepped on my foot, and started chasing Liam again.

Tristan and Gerard came walking up to me.

"Raina needs to watch her mouth," he said.

"Yeah," I replied. "I guess that's what we deserve for calling her a pain in the ass for the first three years of her life."

"She's right, though," Gerard said. "You _do _kind of need to get dressed."

"Yeah," I replied. "Probably necessary. I'll see you at the wedding." I started to walk back to my room.

"See you, brother-in-law!" Tristan called. I turned around, and smiled.

"See you, best man," I replied.

The thought of getting dressed immediately caused me to worry. As idiotic as it was, I was worried about the outfit. I opened my closet, and grimaced, not because of the mess, but because of what I'd be wearing to my wedding.

My father and grandfather had worn it in their weddings, so of course, I had to. It was a traditional wedding robe, as most men in Trampoli wore.

_Stop staring at it, moron, _I told myself. I grabbed the robe off the hanger, undressed, and put it on.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and grimaced. I had always liked having long hair, but in the robe, complete with bows, a scarf, and a frilly collar, I looked kind of like a girl.

"Look at me," I said with a sigh. "Arianna's going to laugh."

"Grow a pair, Raguna," someone said. I jumped.

"Jesus, Grandpa," I gasped. "You just scared the shit out of me."

"Ah," Grandpa said, laughing. "I'm just surprised you didn't hear me open the door. I was just messing with you by the way."

"What else is new?" I muttered.

"I understand that wedding apparel in Trampoli isn't exactly flattering," Grandpa said. "But if you think that the woman who adores you more than anything else in the world is going to laugh at you because of the way you're dressed, you're a damned fool." I smiled.

"I guess you're right," I said. "But I still look like a dumbass."

"No," Grandpa said. "You don't look like a dumbass."

Then, he suddenly took something out of one of the pouches on his belt, and I feel my face involuntarily contort into a horrified expression. What he took out of his pocket looked like a misshapen fez, with two blue tassels on each end. It was the wedding hat, which Grandpa promptly stuck on my head.

"Now you do," he said, smiling.

"You're cruel," I said, smiling right back at him.

"And don't I know it," Grandpa replied. "Now let's get you over to the church."

**Oh, Raguna...**

**And I intentionally made Gunie's preparation shorter. He didn't even brush his hair (but he's prettier that way).**

**Yeah, and I bumped up the rating. I forgot the sexual reference in the first chapter, and of course with the reference to female "cycling" and anatomy, it definitely needed to be done.**

**Of course, Leann and Lily haven't changed a bit. And I _had _to make Tristan and Gunie end up as friends.**

**There will be another upload soon!  
**


	3. Bridesmaids

**I was looking back on this chapter to try and find a reference for a later chapter, when I realized I had completely skipped over uploading it! So yeah, read this one, because there's a massive gap.**

_Arianna, Spring 3, 12:50 p.m._

"Are you finished yet?" Lily asked exasperatedly, knocking on the bathroom door for the millionth time.

I got up from the floor, where I had been crouching over the toilet, and opened the door slowly.

"I…think so," I replied.

"You'd better be," Lily said. "I'm going to have to redo your lipstick. Oh, and have a mint or five." She took a small tin out of her purse, and put it in my hand.

"Jesus, Lil," Flora said, getting up from the couch in the back room. "Have a heart! She's nervous, that's all."

"It is not normal to throw up three times from nervousness!" Lily protested. Flora put a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't listen to a word she says," Flora said. "Just take a deep breath, relax, and then Lily will redo your makeup. And…the mint might be a good idea."

I sighed, and quickly popped a mint in my mouth while Lily got the lipstick. She was absolutely right; it wasn't normal for me to get sick that many times. I was nervous, but not that nervous!

Lily started putting more lipstick on me, when someone knocked on the door.

"Everybody decent?" Dad asked from behind the door.

"Yeah," we all replied. The door opened.

Dad smiled.

"You all look great," he said.

"Thanks!" Lily exclaimed.

"He wasn't talking about you," Flora said, rolling her eyes.

"Arianna!" another voice cried. Ella and Raina came running in, but Ella promptly stopped in front of me and gasped.

"Oh…Oh my God," she stammered. "You look…so beautiful! I'd give you a hug, but I'm afraid I'll mess up your dress or something!" Raina raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're pretty," she said. "So how did you end up with Gunie?"

Flora laughed.

"You've got a pretty awesome flower girl, Arianna," she said.

"What's it to you?" Raina said.

"Are you picking a fight with me, tiny?" Flora shot back.

"Who are you calling tiny?" Raina demanded. "I'll kick your ass!"

"Raina!" Ella cried. "Go…get your basket or something!" Raina ran off.

"And don't start throwing the flowers yet!" I called.

"If you don't mind," Dad said, sounding hesitant. "I'd like to have a word with Arianna before she-"

"We get it, Leonel," Flora said. "Come on, let's leave them for a second." They left the room, smiling at me.

"Did you know," Dad said. "That when a person is born, the only part of their face that stays the same for the rest of their life is the eyes?"

"No," I replied.

"I remember the first time I got to see yours," he continued. "It was just after you started breathing on your own. You cried for quite some time. Actually, you cried all night. Your mom and I thought that it was probably painful for your lungs to grow to a normal size. You were so loud that nobody could sleep. Your mom was trying to keep Tristan from crying, so I picked you up. It was dark in the room, so I couldn't see you too well. Of course, you were screaming so much that it was pretty easy to find you."

"I figured," I said.

Dad smiled, and I could tell that he was thinking back all those years.

"For some reason," he continued. "I took you over to the window, trying to see if I could calm you down. We were still in the capital, and they have lights everywhere. I could see your face then…you were obviously in a lot of pain, so over your screams, I talked to you. 'You're strong, Arianna,' I said. 'You're strong, and we love you.' And then, you stopped crying. You looked up at me, and I saw those beautiful green eyes for the first time. And every time I look at your eyes, they're the exact same as they were that night." He paused. "But now, you're all grown up, and even though you'll be leaving the place we brought you home to, I'll still have that memory. I'll still have baby Arianna."

At that point, I had to start fanning my eyes with my hands, in order to keep the tears away so they didn't ruin my makeup. I gave Dad a bigger hug than I had ever given him in all my life.

"You'll have grown-up Arianna, too," I told him.

"I know I will," he said. "But Gunie's waiting for you now."

My heart leapt as I heard Trampoli's traditional wedding music being played on the organ.

"We'd better go," Dad said. I quickly put the front part of my veil over my face, and hurried out, or at least as quickly as I could in the floor-length dress. We walked to the back of the church, and started down the aisle. I tried not to look at the faces in the pews, but I knew they were all there, because the pews creaked as everyone turned to look at me. However, when I heard a collective cooing sound, I realized that they had been looking at Raina and her basket of flowers. Then, they turned to look at me.

My eyes widened as I looked toward the front. Standing there next to Tristan was a tall, well-built man with perfectly combed brown hair, and eyes that were the most beautiful shade of blue. If he hadn't been wearing the wedding robe, I wouldn't have thought for a second that it was him.

"Gunie," I whispered.

_Gunie, Spring 3, 12:58 p.m._

My heart was pounding incessantly. There was no denying that I was nervous as hell.

"Hey," Tristan said. I jumped. "You look like you're going to get sick."

"I'm not," I said quickly. He raised an eyebrow, and normally, I would have laughed and told him he looked like Arianna.

"You're about to marry my little sister," he said. "You shouldn't be nervous at all."

"That's why I'm nervous," I replied.

Suddenly, Helena, the only other person besides me who could do so, started to play the church organ. I couldn't take my eyes off my feet. Then, I felt something hit my arm.

"Look," Tristan said. He pointed toward the back of the church, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

Of course, my soon-to-be father-in-law, Leonel, was there, but…who was that next to him? I adjusted my glasses just to make sure I was seeing things correctly, and I was. Through her thin veil, I could see red hair, pointed ears, and green eyes, but that was the only familiarity I saw in that beautiful woman, who I knew then was…

"Arianna," I whispered.


	4. Ceremony

_Arianna, Spring 3, 1:01 p.m._

The second everyone turned around to look at me, my stomach lurched. It wasn't the same nausea as before, but it certainly was uncomfortable. I willed it to go away, but it wouldn't.

That is, until I looked over at Gunie again. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was slightly open, but his expression quickly changed to a slightly shocked-looking smile. It was as though he couldn't look away.

My eyes clouded over with tears again.

_Gunie, Spring 3, 1:02 p.m._

"Earth to Gunie," Tristan whispered. I didn't take my eyes off Arianna, especially since encouraging Tristan would just end up with _both of us _getting smacked upside the head with Lara's holy book.

"Shut up," I told him. "Just look at how beautiful your sister is."

"She is," Tristan replied. "But that doesn't mean you can just go to town on her tonight."

"We're in a church," I hissed, looking over at him.

"Like you care, atheist," Tristan teased.

"I'm agnostic," I muttered. "And so are you."

"Yeah," he replied. "That's true." He paused, and I thought he would finally shut up. "But that doesn't mean you can deflower my sister!"

"Shush!" I hissed, not even thinking to say that she already _had _been deflowered, and by me. "Is _nothing _sacred to you?"

"Oh, come on," he said. "You know I'm just messing with you, and I have plenty of respect for you two."

"Are you finished now?" I asked. Tristan didn't respond for a second.

"Girl titties," he said quickly.

"Go to hell," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

_Arianna, Spring 3, 1:04 p.m._

As I reached the altar, I saw Tristan practically shove Gunie so he was standing next to me. I smiled, knowing how lucky I was that the two of them had become friends.

Lara started reading out of her book, and I frowned slightly. I had read that speech a million times, and as I looked over at Gunie, I could tell he felt the same way. But it was necessary, and we had to stand there through the boring part to get to the actual vows.

The vows…my eyes widened and my heart started pounding as I realized that I had left the paper that I had written the night before at the inn.

"And now the couple will exchange their vows," Lara said. It took a lot of willpower not to start cursing, crying, or both.

"Wait!" someone exclaimed from the congregation. All heads turned in the direction of the sound, and Liam came running up to me.

"It's not time for the rings yet, Liam," I told him.

"I know," he said. He started digging around in his pockets, and I gasped as I saw what he took out: the formerly missing paper. "I found this in your room. Is it important?"

"_Very_ important," I told him approvingly. He quickly turned out to face the congregation.

"Look Mom!" he exclaimed. "I did something important! And I _knew _it was, because it had hearts all over it and it said 'I love you'!" There was a combination of laughs and coos from the crowd, and Liam attempted to take a bow. Luckily, Mom practically flew out of nowhere and snatched him up.

"Continue," she said quickly, as she made her way back to her seat.

While I was relieved I had found my written vows, I couldn't quite get over the mortification caused by my dear family.

_Gunie, Spring 3, 1:10 p.m._

"Thank you, Liam," Lara said. "Are you ready, Arianna?"

I smiled sympathetically at a very flustered Arianna as she unfolded her sheet of paper. Her hands were trembling, and as she looked at me, I smiled gently again to let her know that everything was okay. She didn't seem to notice, though, and her breathing made me start worrying that she might have an asthma attack. Then, she opened her mouth, and I sighed with relief.

"Raguna Oceanus," she said, her voice sounding more confident than I had expected. I blushed, though, upon hearing my second name used.

In Norad, second names were traditionally given to children when they were two years old. In other words, they were given when a kid was less likely to die. I had no idea what my parents were thinking with "Oceanus," despite the fact that my first name had a water-related derivation.

She looked up at me, and didn't break eye contact for a second, other than to glance at the paper.

"Years ago, I met a sad boy. A tragic hero, who had arms that carried a heavy burden. Still, the ones he loved, he loved with all his heart. Sadly, he didn't know if he could trust them." She paused. "You chose to trust me, Gunie, so forever, I will trust and love you. You are the only man I could ever love, and I promise to be a loyal friend and a loyal wife. Forever."

At that point, my mouth was open, and my eyes were wide. I already knew that Arianna loved me, but to hear her say it with such eloquence left me stunned.

"Gunie," Lara said after a moment. I blinked.

"Oh, sorry," I said quickly. I took my written vows out of my pocket, and prepared to read them.

_Arianna, Spring 3, 1:15 p.m._

My trembling hands calmed as he started to read.

"In sickness and in health," he said, smiling nervously at me. "That's what they always say, but this phrase is taken for granted too often. You, Arianna Vivienne, have exemplified this more than anyone I have ever known. In my times of sickness, I remember your compassion and willingness to help me and comfort me. That sickness is inevitable, but I know we will work together to bring ourselves back to the state of health. I promise to help you, to comfort you, and to love you with all my heart."

I was doing everything in my power not to burst into tears of joy, but they started to fall anyway.

"Now, for the official vows," Lara said. She turned to Gunie, and smiled. "Raguna, do you take this woman to be your wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

_Gunie, Spring 3, 1:21 p.m._

My heart pounded, and I didn't know why. They were just two little words, and I really wanted to say them. I breathed deeply.

"I do," I said, suddenly smiling broadly.

"And you, Arianna," Lara said, turning again to Arianna. "Do you take this man to be your husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

_Arianna, Spring 3, 1:22 p.m._

I inhaled slowly, preparing to say the two words that would forever change my life.

"I do," I said as the tears started back up.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Lara said with an overjoyed smile. She looked over at Gunie. "You may kiss the bride."

By then, the applause was so thunderous that I could barely hear Lara. Gunie stepped closer to me, and lifted the veil away from my face. Then, we kissed, and it felt almost exactly like our first kiss as teenagers. The applause escalated, and he hugged me.

"Why are you crying?" he asked gently.

"Because I'm happy," I told him.

We let go of each other, and we started to walk back down the aisle, but that time, we were together as husband and wife.

**Yay! I haven't worked on this in forever, but I felt the need to revisit it.  
**

**I love all of Tristan and Gunie's exchanges. I love them in general, though.  
**

**The next few chapters are going to be interesting. In other words, lots of drunk people. Drunk Tristan. Need I say more?  
**


	5. Before the Party

_Gunie, Spring 3, early afternoon_

"You did it!" Tristan exclaimed for the millionth time.

"It's still pretty weird to think about," I replied.

It was. Even though I was relieved to be changing out of the ridiculous wedding outfit, and more importantly, have a few hours to relax before the wedding reception, my mind was still racing. I was married…

"Do I have to pull you away from that mirror, sissy boy?" Tristan asked.

"Jeez," I said, buttoning the final button on my jacket. "I want to look nice at the wedding reception, too."

"Don't mind him," Gerard said. "Tristan was crying like a baby when Mom was brushing his hair this morning."

"You're here too?" I asked.

"Hey!" Tristan cried, obviously protesting to Gerard's accusation. "I wasn't _crying_, for your information!"

"Yes, you were!" Liam argued. "Mommy told you to hold still, but you said, 'Ah, Mom! Stop, I look fine! My head is on fire!'"

_Damn it,_ I thought, rolling my eyes. _Liam's here too._

"I did _not_ say that," Tristan protested.

"Whatever," Gerard said. "Maybe you'd toughen up if you had a girlfriend."

"I-I'm tough enough already!" Tristan stammered. "And what business is it of yours?"

After quickly running a brush through my own hair, I opened the door to my room. Tristan and Gerard were sitting on the couch, still arguing and smacking each other, while Liam spun around in circles.

"Who left you all unsupervised?" I asked jokingly.

"You," Tristan replied. "Oh, I forgot to ask: is there going to be any champagne tonight?"

"Of course," I told him.

"And you're not having a drop of it," Gerard stated quickly.

"Why?" Tristan asked.

"Because," Gerard replied. "Knowing you, you'll never stop."

"I can see that," I said, nodding in agreement.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me?" Tristan asked.

"Because you're a butthead!" Liam exclaimed.

"My sentiments exactly," Gerard said. "Though not quite in the vernacular of a five-year-old."

I sighed, heading back to my room. I decided to read, since my brothers-in-law were already giving me a headache.

_Arianna, Spring 3, late afternoon_

"Arianna?" Mom said from the doorway of my room at the inn. "Don't you think you should start getting ready for the reception?"

"Maybe," I replied. I was sitting on my bed in my pajamas from the night before with a sheet of music composition paper. All that was written on it was "Gunie's Song" at the top.

"What are you doing that you're so absorbed in?" Mom asked.

"Just writing some music," I said.

"Ah," Mom said. "I guess that means I should leave you alone." I smiled, not wanting to say that was true. "Well, take a few more minutes, and then we'll get you all dressed up again."

"Actually," Lily said, peeking her head in the doorway. "We probably need to start now."

"Never mind, then," Mom said. She quickly left the room, knowing that she needed to be away from the whirlwind.

"All right," I said, sighing heavily. "I'll change, and then you can attack me with your cosmetics."

I got out of bed, shut the door, and started to change out of my pajamas. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Leona and Raina stepped in.

"Oh," Leona said, once she saw me. "Sorry, I just wanted to ask if you needed any help lacing up your dress, but I didn't know you weren't already in it."

"It's all right," I said. "I'll let you know if I do need help."

"Okay, then," Leona said. "Come on, Raina, let's leave Arianna alone for a minute." For some reason, though, Raina just stood there, staring at me quizzically.

"Why does Arianna have a baby tummy?" she asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Raina!" Leona exclaimed. "That's not a nice thing to say!" She took Raina out of the room, and shut the door behind her after giving me an apologetic smile.

I waited for a minute before putting on my dress, periodically looking down at my stomach. I finally just shook my head and laughed.

"She's just being her regular, blunt self," I muttered. "Mom did say I put on some weight."

_Gunie, Spring 3, early evening_

People were already at the wedding reception when Tristan, Gerard, Liam, and I got there, and everyone turned to look at us.

"You're late, boys!" a scolding voice said. My eyes widened in horror as I saw who it was.

"Oh, shit," I said. "Aunt Eunice." She squealed and quickly made her way toward me.

"I don't care if you're late!" she exclaimed, suddenly sounding cheerful. "I can't be mad at my sweet little nephew." I sighed, and she squeezed me within an inch of my life. "My baby brother's baby boy!"

"Let me go, please," I choked out.

"Not until you say what you used to!" she said.

"God damn," I muttered, barely audibly. "Aunt Eunice...please...I'm twenty-one years old! And there are people everywhere!" I turned my head to see my three brothers-in-law trying their hardest to contain themselves. That was new.

"Say it!" she insisted. I sighed.

"You give nice hugs, Auntie Eunice," I said with mock enthusiasm.

"There it is!" she exclaimed. She finally let me go, and I took a deep breath. I scowled as I saw that Tristan was pointing and laughing, Liam was literally rolling on the floor, and even Gerard was chuckling a little.

"Don't harass my son, Eunice," Dad said, emerging from the crowd.

"Dad, you were standing there?" I cried. "Why didn't you save me?"

"Because I suffered through for over twenty-one years," he replied. "Maybe I'll bail you out when you're older."

Suddenly, I remembered why I was even there.

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "Arianna, where's Arianna?"

"She'll be down in a minute," he replied. "Last I checked, your mom was running home as though for her life...something about a sewing kit and a replacement zipper."

_Dress problems, _I thought._ I hope she's okay...she's been a little more emotional lately. Though I don't blame her..._

But there was a collective murmuring of awe from the masses, and I knew what that meant. I turned in the direction of the noise to see Arianna walking down the stairs, looking beautiful, just as she had before. The new dress she wore was still white, but it had light pink accents, and it was much less frilly and complicated-looking.

_Easier to take off,_ I thought. My cheeks reddened at my own stupidity. She was beautiful.

_Arianna, Spring 3, early evening_

I carefully walked down the stairs, and searched for Gunie in the sea of faces. It didn't take long until I found him, and I quickened my pace.

"Watch your dress!" Mom called after me, but I didn't listen to a word of it, and I almost fell right into his arms.

"Whoa," he said, laughing a little. "Be careful."

"Sorry," I replied. "I've been feeling a little clumsy lately." He took my hands.

"I honestly wouldn't know," he replied. "Actually, that was kind of a lie. Apparently I tried on a pair of my mom's high heels when I was three, and I fell and almost broke my-" I kissed him, not sure if I wanted to hear any more of that story.

"We have plenty of time left to discuss your crossdressing," I told him, as the people around us cheered. "Years, in fact. For now, we'll have fun."

"Y-Yeah," he stammered. "_Carpe diem._"

Before long, the dinner had started, and it was hard to control my eating. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until then.

"Arianna, honey," Gunie said, touching my shoulder. "Slow down, you don't want to make yourself sick, do you?"

"I won't," I replied.

"Though, um, speaking of that," he said, lowering his voice a little. "Would you mind eating this turnip rice for me?"

"Oh God," I said, my eyes widening as I quickly snatched the appetizer away from his place at the table. "I'm so sorry, when I picked the menu I had no idea there were turnips in here!"

"That's okay," he said. "I just hope everyone eats it quickly."

Soon enough, the dinner was over, but I heard someone shout over the noise.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Tristan called. I looked over at him, along with everyone else, only to see Lily accidentally shatter a champagne flute by hitting a fork against it. Unfortunately for Tristan, it went all over the front of his pants.

"I think I broke it," Lily said.

"Well," Tristan said. "Now that I've managed to make it look like I've pissed my pants, let's make speeches. Lily?"

"Okay!" Lily exclaimed. "On behalf of the bridesmaids, Lily - that's me! - Flora, Ella, and Zoe, we want to congratulate the newest married couple of Trampoline!"

"Trampoli," Tristan quickly corrected her.

"Yes, Trampoli!" Lily said. "My dear cousin Arianna, and her new husband Gunie. We've all seen the unbreakable and totally adorable commitment that the two of them have shared throughout the years. I wish you both the happiest future, and lots of cute babies!" Everyone laughed and applauded, and I just looked down. Yes, Lily had definitely written that herself. Short, to the point, and unintentionally blunt.

"B-Babies...?" Gunie stammered.

"And _lots_ of them?" I added. "Lily needs to get her head examined."

"Um, thanks for that, Lily," Tristan said. "Now, as best man, I also have to make a speech of some sort. But as I was thinking of what to say, very late last night, I didn't even know where to begin! Arianna and I shared a tiny, cramped apartment for almost a year, though I don't remember that time too well." The guests laughed. "And from the first time I met Gunie, I was already threatening him if he tried to go near my little sister. That really has changed, because now, I only have the best wishes for my new family members, and the ones I've always known. So, I'd like to propose a toast." Everyone raised their glasses of champagne. I chose to raise my water glass instead; even though I was practically an alcoholic as a young teenager, drinking didn't ever really seem like a good idea after that.

"To the newlyweds!" Tristan exclaimed. Everyone repeated his words, and tapped their glasses together.

"To us," Gunie said to me.

"To us," I agreed.

Once the noise had died down, Tristan laughed loudly.

"Now, forget the formal stuff!" he exclaimed. "Let the party begin!"

**Woo, party!**

**The next chapter is going to have an accompanying playlist, but the one you all absolutely must listen to is Gunie and Arianna's wedding song, or at least the song that inspired the part of the story. You know, the one they play when they dance together for the first time as a married couple? I actually want it to be my own song someday. And I'll give you a hint...if you don't like the song or the band, don't be a killjoy about it.**

**That should be pretty easy. XD**

**And don't worry, we'll get to see a totally hammered Tristan eventually. We'll also get to see how he meets his future wife. 3**


	6. Music for the Reception

_Gunie, Spring 3, mid-evening_

The lights suddenly dimmed considerably.

"What's going on?" Arianna asked.

"I guess they're starting up the music," I replied, shrugging. "But this seems like a pretty dramatic way to be introducing a musical act for a wedding."

Suddenly, I heard Mom's voice, but heavily amplified.

"As my personal wedding gift to my son and daughter-in-law," she said grandly. "I would like to introduce the one, the only, _The Sechs Machine_!"

My eyes widened, and Arianna gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"No way," I murmured.

"Oh my God," she said. "I'm dreaming! I must be!"

The Sechs Machine was a band hailing from Palermo, and Arianna had first introduced me to their music a few years back. Of course, I was interested from the start in their new genre of music, and it didn't take me long to start really liking their work.

There was already a crowd forming around a small, makeshift stage within the bar, and a very important question dawned on me:

"Wait a second," I said. "How did _my mother_ get them to come here?"

"Surprised?" Dad asked from behind me.

"Yeah, only a little," I replied sarcastically.

"Well, thank your mom," he said. "She's still got tons of connections in the capital, even after all these years! She used to be good friends with their current touring manager."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "How does Mom have connections to the capital?"

"That's a story for another time," Dad said. "Now go up there and have fun."

"Yeah!" Arianna exclaimed. "Come on, let's go!" She took my hand and practically dragged me over to the stage.

As the band started playing the first song, one of their most-high energy ones that had a bass line I had always admired, everyone around us started to dance.

"Shall we?" Arianna asked, turning to face me.

"I would be honored," I replied. "Let's hope my dad's private lessons paid off..."

_Arianna, Spring 3, evening_

After a few dances with Gunie, the music stopped.

"Is everyone having a good time tonight?" the lead singer asked. Everyone cheered, including me. "Well, we're going to play a very special song in a minute, after we get set up, so would everyone please clear the floor so the bride and groom can have their first official dance?" It took a while, but eventually, Gunie and I were the only ones left.

"I wonder what Mom picked for us," Gunie said to me. I could see the nervous expression on his face.

"Don't get freaked out," I told him. "First of all, you're not going to mess up. And even if you do mess up, nobody's going to notice or care." He exhaled.

"I guess you're right," he said, smiling at me. "Besides, everyone's going to be looking at you." He took my hand, and the music started.

At first, I didn't recognize the song at all. But once I did, I almost started to cry; it was my favorite love song of all time. It was being played on classical strings, and much more slowly, and it made the song even more beautiful.

"Perfect for us," Gunie whispered as I twirled under his arm. It was. The song described a man dealing with a difficult time in his life, and reflecting back on previous times where he felt hopeless. Then, he met the woman he would later marry, and she was the one who helped him. It went on to describe his teenage years, and his discontent with the world, and how different he felt when he was with the woman he loved. Finally, he expressed his hope that they would be together always.

We only did a few of the steps Leif had taught us, repeating them over a few times, but mostly, I just wanted to stay in his arms.

"You really did save me, you know," he said softly. Even though it had been over four years, it still pained me to think of the days of his struggles.

"We've been over this," I said. "You saved yourself."

"I couldn't have done it on my own," he said. "You came into my life at just the right time, and now...I can't imagine life without you."

"I love you so much," I said to him, my eyes tearing up a bit.

"Don't cry," he said gently. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you think back on those times."

"It's not that," I said. "I'm just so happy that this day is finally here."

When the song finally ended, the crowd applauded, and Gunie and I kissed once again.

"I love you," he whispered.

We made our way back into the crowd of people, and they poured back onto the floor.

"Can we rest a second?" I asked him.

"Really?" he asked teasingly. "Come on, Arianna, that was just a slow song!"

"I know," I replied. "But it's hot, and my feet hurt."

"All right," he said. "We'll take a break."

We sat down at the bar, and I leaned back and sighed.

"Wow," he said. "You really are tired."

"I'm not ready to sleep yet," I told him. "And even if I think I am, I'm not giving in! Ditching your own wedding reception is lame."

"There they are!" someone exclaimed. I turned my head to see Lily, Flora, Ella, and Zoe damn near charging at us.

"That was...so cute!" Lily squealed.

"Arianna, you looked so pretty!" Ella exclaimed. "And your dress under those lights was almost as pretty as you!"

"I want to get married too!" Zoe cried. "Ow!"

"No way!" Raina said, probably hidden behind the long dresses. "You're never gonna marry my big brother!" Gunie stifled a laugh.

"Raina!" Ella cried. "Don't hit!"

"Yeah, pipsqueak," Flora said. "Calm down, or you might get stepped on!"

"I'll step on your face!" Raina threatened.

"Hey," Gunie said, taking his little sister's hand. "How about you go and find a boy to dance with?"

"Fine," she said. "Then I'm stealing you, big brother!"

"So blunt," I said, laughing. "I give you my permission. Just make sure you give him back soon!" There was a collective coo from the bridesmaids as they followed Raina and Gunie into the crowd.

I continued to sit for a few minutes, but as soon as I was ready to get up, Tristan came and sat down next to me, sighing heavily.

"You seem depressed," I told him. "Why don't you go and dance with everyone else?"

"I would," he said. "But I don't know any of the girls here well enough to ask one of them to dance."

"Well," I said. "If you're going to have that kind of attitude about it, then you're never going to find a girl to dance with! It's not like someone will just walk up to you and ask!"

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind us. "But...are you Arianna's brother?"

We both turned around to see Lolita, a petite half-elf girl who I had met along with her brother, Hugh, and her twin sister, Poppy, the first time I had come to Trampoli.

"Who, me?" Tristan asked, sounding a little nervous.

"Yes," Lolita said, nodding energetically. She looked down at her feet for a second, and then back up at Tristan. "Not to be rude, but I noticed that you don't seem to have a date. If you don't, I was wondering if you might like to dance with me, since I don't have one either." Tristan's face flushed bright red, and Lolita giggled at the reaction.

"S-Sure," he replied. "I'd love to." He got up from his seat at the bar, and he and Lolita started to walk toward the crowd of people dancing.

I smiled broadly, and got up from my chair as well. Mom was going to be _thrilled._

**Just a quick bulletin: I looked back at this fic online the other night, only to notice that I had completely forgotten to upload chapter 3. I completely skipped over it! So that's up now.**

**Yeah, and for those of you who haven't heard, I'm working on a really short manga that focuses on Tristan as the narrator. And damn, does he look HOT. XD**

**I'm just glad I uploaded a chapter. The NEXT one will be the one where Tristan gets hammered. XD**

**And of course, there was no way in hell I could resist the "Sechs Machine" pun. Also, the song that inspired the one described in this chapter was "Summertime" by My Chemical Romance. I encourage you to listen to it, or at least look up the lyrics, because it really fits this couple as well as the one it's written for.**

**Additional songs that I listened to writing this chapter are: Melissa by Porno Graffiti, Kesenai Tsumi by Nana Kitade, Uso by SID, and Lover Boy by L'Arc-en-Ciel, just to name a few.**

**Haha, now all I can think about are all of the first generation RF2 and RFF characters as old people, saying things such as, "Damn kids and their loud music!" or "'Sechs Machine'? That's just vulgar!" XD**


	7. A Peaceful Escape

_Gunie, Spring 3, later evening_

I felt very accomplished. After just one dance, I had managed to get my youngest sister to the point of yawning and rubbing her eyes. I picked her up.

"You should probably go to bed, Rai," I said.

"No," she whined tiredly. "I want to stay up." I smiled, and I started off to find Mom or Dad.

Right away, I almost bumped into Arianna.

"Tristan and Lolita went off to dance!" she said excitedly.

"Really?" I asked. "I never would have guessed that in a million years!"

"Me neither," she replied. "What's going on with Raina?"

"She's tired," I replied, smiling. "I was looking for my mom or dad to take her, but I don't know where they are." Arianna smiled.

"We can go back to your parents' house," she said. "I know I said earlier that ditching your own party was kind of lame, but I think it would be okay to make an exception."

"Okay," I said, though I was a little bit confused. Arianna never changed her opinions so quickly, especially over something that seemed so insignificant. It was weird, though; it seemed like the second she saw Raina looking so tired, she had to do something to take care of her.

"We'll have to slip out without anyone noticing," she said. "At least, we have to try."

We left the inn, only to see Tristan and Lolita standing outside.

"Are you leaving?" Tristan asked.

"What are you doing out here?" Arianna asked her brother.

"It's too loud in there to have a conversation," Tristan replied. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Raina's tired," I said. "We're bringing her back to my parents' house so she can sleep."

"And don't mention it to Mom," Arianna told Tristan. I almost laughed; she had a slight pout on her face, and it looked so similar to the expression she so often had years before.

The night was quiet, except for the sounds of insects and birds, and it was almost a shame that my childhood house was so close. I would have liked to enjoy the peacefulness.

Once we went inside, I patted Raina's hand to attempt to wake her up. She whined.

"Come on," I said. "You need to get your pajamas on so you can go to sleep."

"Put me down then," she muttered. I did as she asked, and she stumbled off to her room.

I noticed that Arianna was looking around my house.

"Are you all right?" I asked her. She turned to look at me with those beautiful blue-green eyes.

"You're going to miss it here, aren't you?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. Yes, I _was_ going to miss it. Although our new home was only down the road, the house I grew up in was too full of strong memories for the move to be an easy change.

"Yeah," I admitted. I walked up to her and put my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. "After all, this is where we met."

She suddenly gave a little gasp, and I pulled away, ready to sprint to the inn to get help. It scared the hell out of me whenever her breathing got erratic at all.

"Your breathing's okay, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "I just...I realized it too. That we met here." She smiled, and I furrowed my brow.

Something didn't seem quite right about that excuse, but I decided to leave it alone.

_Arianna, Spring 3, later evening_

He could tell I was lying, but honestly, I didn't know what else to say. What I had just felt in my abdomen was beyond weird, and I'd never felt anything like it before.

"Let's go check on Raina," I said quickly. "She's probably asleep already, but we should still see how she's doing."

"Yeah," Gunie replied. "Buttons give her trouble, and Mom probably knotted the ribbon on her dress."

The light was still on, but once we got there, she was fast asleep, and her dress, tights, and shoes were in a heap on the floor. Gunie smiled, and turned off the light.

"We should wait here," I said. "I mean, until someone else comes back."

"Right," Gunie said.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Ella came running in.

"There you are!" she cried. Immediately, we shushed her and gestured to the hallway. "Oh. Arianna, Helena's looking for you. She was worried because you looked tired and then went off." I smiled.

"Helena ought to be worrying about herself," I said. "She'll be having that baby in three months. Anyway, I'll go tell her I'm fine."

"You go too, Gunie," Ella said. "I'm going to bed, so everything will be fine here."

"Are you sure?" Gunie asked, his eyes widening. I smiled again; the way he treated his sisters was pretty cute.

"Yes!" Ella insisted. "Now go back to your party!"

Once we walked back to the inn, I started to feel kind of dizzy, but I ignored it. Luckily, Helena came up to me right away.

"Arianna!" she exclaimed. "So Ella found you? Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah," I said, though I was starting to feel just the opposite. "I'm fine. Excuse me for a minute."

I started running, trying not to trip over my dress, to search for the nearest bathroom. Luckily, I found one, and went inside, just in time for my stomach to empty its contents into the closest toilet.

I tried my best not to cry, though I was trembling like a child with their first case of the stomach flu. Just what the hell was wrong with me?

_Gunie, Spring 3, very late evening_

"Are you sure she's all right?" Helena asked me for the millionth time.

"I'm not sure anymore," I replied, sighing heavily. "She's been acting stranger and stranger by the minute, and the way she ran off without telling anybody where she was going...well..."

"Ask around," she said. "And I'll do the same. Maybe someone saw where she went." I nodded, and headed into the crowd.

By that time, the music had quieted down a lot, and I was actually able to ask people if they had seen where Arianna went without having to yell. Nobody had.

Eventually, I made my way over to the bar, which was very close to the restrooms and at the opposite end of the room. Tristan, Lily, Gerard, and Lolita were sitting there, and as soon as I got close to them, I realized that asking them _anything_ would not yield any helpful answers.

"So then," Tristan said, speaking enthusiastically yet slowly. "I told I him that I would...hack him to pieces with a sword!"

"No, no, no way, man!" Gerard protested. "That is _naw_ the ray it happened!"

"You're talking weird!" Lily exclaimed, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face.

"Hey, guys," I said, trying to get their attention. Lolita was the only one who seemed to notice.

"Gunie," she said in a hushed voice. "Should I tell Tristan how I feel about him?"

"Um...it depends," I said. "Anyway, I need to-" She pushed me, almost falling over in the process, and walked over to Tristan. "You...are..._hot_."

"Yeah!" Tristan exclaimed, hugging Lolita. He turned to Gerard. "See? A pretty girl thinks I'm hot!"

"Take it the fluck owside," Gerard muttered. That caused Lily to literally fall off her barstool laughing. I was able to catch her, but she didn't seem to notice that she had fallen.

"You can't talk at all!" she cried.

"Okay," I said, trying to get Lily to stand up or at least sitting up straight on her barstool again. "You guys cannot hold your liquor at all." Tristan reached for his glass, but I snatched it from him and took a drink. It was so strong I started coughing. "God, Tristan! Are you a freaking idiot, or were you just trying to get drunk? Have you all been drinking the same thing?"

"No way!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm too fancy!" I rolled my eyes and took another drink; maybe I needed it. But Lily suddenly gasped. "Yay! Arianna's back! Dance time!" I turned around to see a very pale Arianna walking slowly toward us. My head was a little fuzzy at that point, but I quickly remembered why I had even come near the bar in the first place, and I ran toward her.

"What happened?" I asked. "You completely disappeared!"

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I'm fine now. What's going on over there? Were you drinking with them?"

"I confiscated some God-knows-what from your brother," I said. We started to walk back over to them.

"Now that my stister is here," Tristan said, stealing a bottle from behind the bar. "I'd like to propose a totes."

"Toast," Gerard said absently.

"Everyone knows that surprises are fun," Lily continued. "And that's what Tristan, Arianna, and I are. Were. Something. _Ha!_"

"To the illegitimate-bastard-type-people!" Tristan exclaimed.

Suddenly, Arianna turned around quickly, and headed for the front of the inn.

"Crap," I muttered. I tried to follow her, and I almost lost her in the crowd, but I finally caught up enough to grab her hand. By then, we were already on the front porch of the inn.

"What's wrong?" I asked firmly. "You haven't been yourself for the whole day, and I'm worried about you!" She bit her lip, and started trembling all over. I realized then that maybe my tone had been a little too harsh, and I hugged her.

"I'm...I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to sound like an asshole. But I really am worried about you."

"N-No," she sobbed. "I can't...I can't tell you! I don't want to!" Even though her tone was intended to be authoritative, she was clinging to me as if her life depended on it.

"Please," I said, kissing her gently on the head.

_Arianna, Spring 3, midnight_

After getting sick again, I had somehow managed to recall my whole day, and everything that was strange about it: the previous nausea, the excessive emotions, the various comments about my weight gain...it didn't take me long to put two and two together.

And I was terrified.

But as he held me, and I cried in his arms, I felt less and less afraid, until finally, the words slipped out.

"I think...I think I'm pregnant."

**Oooooh, cliffie!**

**Also, if you haven't done so already, go back and read chapter three, because I forgot to upload it originally.**


	8. Family

_Gunie, Spring 4, just after midnight_

I took a step back, and my head briefly spun. Alcohol and shocking news were certainly not to be mixed. Pregnant? Arianna was having a baby? _Our _baby?

She whimpered a little, and started to cry again.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she said. "What will everyone think of us? What will your parents think?" I frowned, and hugged her tightly.

"What kind of asshole do you think I am?" I asked, a broad smile creeping across my face. "And nobody will think badly of you. Not on my watch." With those words, she hugged me back.

"You're...not mad?" she asked.

"Of course not," I replied. "We're going to be parents."

_Arianna, Spring 4, just after midnight_

_Parents_. That word echoed in my mind over and over.

"I still can't believe it," I said. Gunie held me even tighter, and it wasn't long before I felt that strange fluttering feeling. "It's moving again."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up. "Can I feel?"

"Come on, Gunie," I said, laughing. "You're smarter than that." I took both of his hands and put them on my slightly protruding stomach. His eyes widened.

"Wow," he murmured. "I didn't expect to actually be able to feel anything...I mean, it's only been a few months."

"Four months is enough, I guess," I said.

At that point, he had already leaned over to hug me again, and I could tell he was getting a little groggy. I laughed, realizing that maybe Tristan's drink had been a little too much for him.

"You can't hold your liquor at all," I said.

"Very true," he said. "My grandparents must be turning in their graves and wondering where they went wrong." He paused. "Ready to go home?"

"Absolutely," I replied.

As we started to walk back into the bar, which was almost abandoned at that point, we realized that maybe leaving our family unattended was not such a good idea, as they all appeared to be intoxicated to some degree.

"Raguna!" Leona cried, stumbling up to us. "Turistan told me and Raria that Loli said..._you _have not been a good little boy!"

"And my girl," Mom slurred, attempting to point a finger at me. "Has also been very...very _bad._"

"Well," I said to Gunie. "I guess it's obvious who gave you her genetic inability to drink."

"He told me last night!" Leif exclaimed, who was obviously drunk but still surprisingly coherent.

"Maybe it's time we go upstairs, Aria," Dad said to Mom as if talking to an irrational child. "We need to check on Tristan."

"No!" Mom protested. "You go check on Tristan, _dear_! You talki' like I can't hill my locker at all, but tha's a damned lie!" Dad sighed.

_Wow, Mom, _I thought. _You really can't "hill your locker" at all._

"My son named Raguna Oceanus the second or something," Leona said dramatically, twirling and holding up three fingers. "I...am going to punch you...in the balls!"

"What?" Gunie cried, instinctively attempting to shield the aforementioned area.

"Listen to your mother!" Mom snapped. "She's _sooooo _right. You're luckly it was Arianna you got preggat!" We both gasped.

"Wow," Gunie said after a moment, laughing nervously. "Lolita must have really been drunk to let something like that slip."

"Dad!" I cried. "You're sober, why did you let Tristan tell everyone?"

"He didn't tell _everyone,_" Dad said. "I managed to keep the news quarantined. Congratulations, by the way."

"Congragligations!" Mom exclaimed. "Is a boy!"

"Do you have to spoil _all _the fun?" Leif asked her.

"What?" Gunie and I cried.

"A boy?" I asked, covering my mouth with my hands. "Really?"

"Apparently," Dad said, shrugging. "Why don't you two go home? I'll stay here and deal with the stragglers."

"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded, and Gunie and I headed for the door.

_Gunie, Spring 4, very early morning_

God, I was about ready to die from embarrassment, among other things.

"Well," Arianna said. "At least we don't have to worry about telling them."

"That's one way of looking at what just happened," I said, still _very _conscious of the color in my face.

"We'll also have to start thinking of boy names," she said softly. "Our baby's a boy..." Her voice sounded a little choked up, so I instinctively put my arm around her waist. The slight bump seemed so obvious now that I knew it was there; in a way, I felt kind of stupid for not noticing earlier.

"I take it you're happy?" I asked jokingly.

Soon enough, we reached our new home. I opened the door, and turned on the lights.

"You know," I said. "This is where my parents were living when I was born." I paused. "And our son is a lucky kid. He won't have to participate in our wedding like we had to do to for our parents."

"Ha," Arianna said. "I'm sure it was more of a pain for them than it was for - wait, did you just say...?"

"That's why there's no way in hell my parents could be mad," I said, laughing at her shocked expression. "I was four months old when they got married."

"You could have told me that earlier!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't think of it," I replied, shrugging. She sighed.

"I'm going to bed," she said, starting off to the bedroom. I laughed.

"That's it?" I asked. She turned to face me again. "Welcome to being married," she said.

_Arianna, Spring 4, very early morning_

I started off to the bedroom again, exhausted beyond belief. I couldn't wait to get the hell out of my dress and shoes. And I figured if the morning sickness - or rather, any-time-of-day sickness - kept up, I was going to need all of the sleep I could get. I undressed quickly, and changed into my nightgown.

As I was about to turn the lights off, Gunie came into the room.

"You didn't even say good night to me," he said. "You're the worst wife ever."

"_You _didn't carry me into the house or do anything at all romantic," I told him. "You're the worst husband ever." He started to change into a loose-fitting shirt, making sure to throw the old clothing on the floor. "Okay, now you're just trying to piss me off."

"No," he replied. "I'm just tired too." He got into bed, and I followed, turning the light off.

We lay silently for a few minutes.

"Caleb," he murmured.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't really know," he said. "The name just kind of popped into my head."

"It's a nice name," I replied. I felt him hug me.

"I thought of something," he said. "We're a family now."

"Yeah," I replied. "A part of one, at least. A giant, chaotic family."

"You know you love it," he said, laughing softly.

"I do," I said. "You've got to love your family."

"I know," he said. He hugged me a little tighter. "But I would, even if it wasn't a requirement." I rolled over, and kissed him.

"So would I," I told him.

**And it's over. I told you it would be short! *Gets smacked by Edward Elric* Hey, I wasn't talking about YOU!**

**So yeah...I'm giving myself a break for the next few hours or so. Video game time!**

**Hope you liked this little spinoff. :)**


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